Process for providing an interior rearview mirror assembly

ABSTRACT

A process for providing an interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle includes providing a mirror reflective element and forming a mirror backplate and a mounting base, with the mounting base formed separate from the mirror backplate. The mounting base is configured for attachment at an interior portion of a vehicle and includes a ball member. A socket element is formed separate from the mirror backplate and separate from the mounting base, and the socket element includes a socket member. The ball member of the mounting base is inserted into the socket member of the socket element to form a ball and socket joint whereby the mounting base pivotally attaches to the socket element. With the mirror backplate attached at the mirror reflective element, the socket element, with the mounting base pivotally attached thereto, is attached to the mirror backplate.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/071,085, filed Nov. 4, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,352,691,which claims the filing benefits of U.S. provisional applications, Ser.No. 61/729,111, filed Nov. 21, 2012, and Ser. No. 61/722,392, filed Nov.5, 2012, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of interiorrearview mirror assemblies for vehicles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known to provide a mirror assembly that is adjustably mounted toan interior portion of a vehicle, such as via a double ball pivot orjoint mounting configuration where the mirror casing and reflectiveelement are adjusted relative to the interior portion of a vehicle bypivotal movement about the double ball pivot configuration. The mirrorcasing and reflective element are pivotable about either or both of theball pivot joints by a user that is adjusting a rearward field of viewof the reflective element. Typically, the socket portion of a singleball or single pivot construction is attached at or part of the rear ofthe mirror housing or casing, and the reflective element and the backplate (and circuitry disposed thereat) are attached at the front of themirror casing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an interior rearview mirror assembly thatincludes a reflective element and backplate, with a separate socketelement attached at the backplate for pivotally mounting the backplateto a ball member of a mounting structure. The separate socket element isselected for the particular application of the mirror assembly, and maybe selected to provide sufficient support and torque properties for theparticular mirror assembly and mirror content. Thus, a universalbackplate and mirror casing may be used, and a particular socket element(having the desired mechanical and metallurgical properties for thatapplication) may be selected for use in a particular mirror assembly orapplication.

These and other objects, advantages, purposes and features of thepresent invention will become apparent upon review of the followingspecification in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an interior rearview mirrorassembly in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a socket element of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the socket element of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the socket element of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the socket element of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the socket element, taken along the lineVI-VI in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the socket element, taken along the lineVII-VII in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the socket element, taken along the lineVIII-VIII in FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a backplate or attachment plate suitablefor use in an interior rearview mirror assembly of the presentinvention;

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of another interior rearviewmirror assembly in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a side elevation partial sectional view of an interiorrearview mirror assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a side elevation partial sectional view of a knownconstruction interior rearview mirror assembly;

FIG. 13 shows perspective views of the assembly process for an interiorrearview mirror assembly of the present invention; and

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the assembled interior rearview mirrorassembly of FIG. 13.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings and the illustrative embodiments depictedtherein, an interior rearview mirror assembly 10 (FIG. 1) for a vehicleincludes a reflective element 14 positioned at a front portion of amirror housing or casing 12 and a pivot element or socket element 16 forpivotally attaching the reflective element 14 (and a mirror backplate 18attached thereto, such as via an adhesive or tape or the like) to amounting base or base portion 20, which is configured for attachment atan interior surface of a vehicle (such as to an interior surface of avehicle windshield or a mirror mounting button at the interior surfaceof the vehicle windshield, or to a headliner of a vehicle or the like).The socket element 16 is a separate and distinct element/constructionfrom the mirror backplate 18 and is configured to be attachable thereto(such as via fasteners and/or via a snap attachment or press fitattachment or via adhesive attachment or the like) in a separate anddistinct operation to provide the desired or appropriate or selectedproperties of the selected socket element at the mirror backplate toprovide the desired or appropriate pivotal attachment of the mirror headto the mounting base 20, as discussed below.

The reflective element 14 and mirror casing 12 are adjustable relativeto the base portion 20 to adjust the driver's rearward field of viewwhen the mirror assembly is normally mounted at or in the vehicle. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the mounting assembly comprises asingle-ball or single-pivot mounting assembly whereby the reflectiveelement and casing are adjustable relative to the vehicle windshield (orother interior portion of the vehicle) about a single pivot joint.Optionally, the mounting assembly may comprise other types of mountingconfigurations, such as a double-ball or double-pivot mountingconfiguration or the like, while remaining within the spirit and scopeof the present invention. The socket or pivot element 16 is configuredto receive a ball member 20 a of the base portion 20, such as for asingle pivot or single ball mounting structure or a double pivot ordouble ball mounting structure or the like (such as a pivot mountingassembly of the types described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,318,870; 6,593,565;6,690,268; 6,540,193; 4,936,533; 5,820,097; 5,100,095; 7,249,860;6,877,709; 6,329,925; 7,289,037; 7,249,860 and/or 6,483,438, and/or U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/226,628, filed Sep. 14, 2005 andpublished Mar. 23, 2006 as U.S. Pat. Pub. No. US-2006-0061008, and/orPCT Application No. PCT/US2010/028130, filed Mar. 22, 2010, which arehereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties).

The mounting base 20 includes an attaching portion 20 b that isconfigured to be attached to an interior surface of a vehicle windshield(such as to a mounting button or attachment element adhered to theinterior surface of the vehicle windshield or such as to a headliner oroverhead console of the vehicle). The mounting base may comprise ametallic ball portion or may comprise a molded (such as injectionmolded) polymeric mounting base or may be otherwise formed, depending onthe particular application of the mirror assembly (and may utilizeaspects of the mounting assemblies described in U.S. Pat. Nos.6,318,870; 6,593,565; 6,690,268; 6,540,193; 4,936,533; 5,820,097;5,100,095; 7,249,860; 6,877,709; 6,329,925; 7,289,037; 7,249,860 and/or6,483,438, and/or U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/226,628, filedSep. 14, 2005 and published Mar. 23, 2006 as U.S. Pat. Pub. No.US-2006-0061008, and/or PCT Application No. PCT/US2010/028130, filedMar. 22, 2010, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties).

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 11, the socket element 16 is mechanicallyattached (such as via fasteners 22) directly to the attachment plate orbackplate 18, which is adhered to the rear surface of the reflectiveelement 14, as opposed to being attached to the mirror casing housing12. This is in contrast to known constructions (such as shown in FIG.12), where the pivot element or socket element 116 is attached orfastened to the mirror casing 112, such as via one or more fasteners 122or the like, such that the load path from the pivot joint goes throughthe mirror casing to the back plate 118 instead of directly to the backplate.

The present invention offers several advantages over the prior art. Forexample, and in reference to FIG. 1, ball member 20 a of mounting base20 can first pass through or thread through the aperture 12 a of mirrorcasing 12 and then can be pressed into the receiving socket of socketelement 16. Advantageously, this is done before socket element 16attaches either to the backplate 18 or directly to the rear of themirror reflective element 14. Insertion of the ball member 20 a into thesocket of socket element 16 can involve substantial forces and by doingthis sub-assembly step separate and distinct from the backplate 18 andthe mirror reflective element 14 (in other words, with the socketelement not attached at the backplate or mirror reflective element), nostress and/or impact is made on or at the backplate 18 and/or the mirrorreflective element 14. Thus, the materials used for backplate 18 and/ormirror reflective element 14 need not be capable of withstanding suchhigh stresses/forces and may, for example, be made thinner and/orlighter and/or of less costly materials. Also, although shown in FIG. 1with the ball member 20 a extending on a stalk of the mounting base 20so as to be received by the socket of socket element 16, alternatively,a ball member and stalk can extend from the element attached at thebackplate to pass through the aperture 12 a of mirror casing 12 so as tobe received in a socket of a mounting base, while remaining within thespirit and scope of the present invention.

The separate and distinct or decoupled socket element 16 construction ofthe present invention may allow for use of a stronger material (such asan ABS material (such as an injection molding grade of ABS), such as apolycarbonate ABS material (PC/ABS), such as, for example, thecommercially available Bayer MaterialScience BAYBLEND® T85 XFPolycarbonate+ABS material or HH-112 ABS or the like) for the attachmentplate to help with glass strength (so that the glass substrate orsubstrates may be thinner or the like), while using a different material(having the desired flexibility and strength, and such as an acetalmaterial and/or a polypropylene material or the like, such as, forexample, the commercially available THERMYLENE® P-20TC-5100polypropylene material (comprising a twenty percent talc-filled, heatstabilized, homopolymer polypropylene), or such as other glass-filled ortalc-filled acetal materials or polypropylene materials or such as aPolyoxymethylene (POM) or glass filled or glass fiber reinforced POM orthe like) for the separate socket element in order to enhance brackettorque feel. The mounting base 20 may then comprise a plastic orpolymeric material, or may comprise a metallic material, such asaluminum or zinc or the like, while still providing the desirablevibration performance to the mirror assembly. The separate and distinctor decoupled socket element 16 construction of the present inventionalso allows for greater vibration performance since the vibration is nolonger going through the housing or casing 12 and its snap attachmentsat the bezel portion.

As best shown in FIGS. 2-8, the socket element 16 comprises a base orattaching portion 16 a and a plurality of flexible tabs 16 b that form aflexible socket that flex apart to receive the ball member 20 a thereinwhen the mirror head is mounted at the base portion 20 and that retainthe socket element 16 and backplate 18 and reflective element 14relative to the ball member 20 a and base portion 20. In the illustratedembodiment, the attaching portion 16 a has a plurality of apertures orpassageways 16 c for receiving fasteners 22 therethrough for fasteningthe socket element 16 to the back plate. As shown in FIG. 9, thebackplate 18 provides an attachment area or surface 18 a at which thesocket element 16 is disposed and includes threaded bosses orpassageways 18 a for receiving (such as threadedly receiving) thefasteners 22 therein to secure the socket element 16 at the backplate18. Optionally, the attaching portion may include a plurality of tabs orsnap elements for snap-attaching the socket element to correspondingtabs or snap elements of the back plate, while remaining within thespirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, the socket element 16may be fixedly secured to the back plate 18, which may be adhered to therear of the reflective element or otherwise secured relative to thereflective element.

The back plate 18 may comprise a common or universal backplate, wherebythe appropriate or selected socket element or pivot element (such as asocket element or such as a ball element or the like) is attached to thebackplate to provide the desired pivot joint for the particular mirrorhead in which the backplate is incorporated. Optionally, when moldingthe backplate, a different insert may be provided to integrally mold aportion of or all of a ball member or the like (such as a portion of abase of a ball member, whereby the ball member may comprise a metallicball member that is insert molded at the base and at the rear of thebackplate during the injection molding process that forms the backplate,such as by utilizing aspects of the mirror assemblies described in U.S.Pat. Nos. 7,855,755; 7,249,860 and 6,329,925 and/or U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/226,628, filed Sep. 14, 2005 and published Mar.23, 2006 as U.S. Pat. Pub. No. US-2006-0061008, which are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties).

Optionally, a common backplate may be provided with an aperture at agenerally central region of the backplate, and a separate and distinctsocket element may be disposed at the aperture through the backplatewhen the backplate and socket element are disposed at or adhered at therear of the reflective element. In such a configuration, the backplatemay be attached at the rear of the reflective element (such as via anadhesive or tape or the like) and the separate socket element may beadhered or bonded at the rear of the reflective element within theaperture of the backplate. Optionally, the backplate may include one ormore attachment elements or clasps or the like that may further retainthe socket element at the rear of the reflective element. For example,the backplate may be attached or adhered at the rear of the reflectiveelement and, as part of a separate operation, the socket element may beinserted into or received in and through the aperture of the backplateand attached or adhered at the rear of the reflective element and/orsnapped into attaching elements of the backplate to retain the separatesocket element at the rear of the reflective element.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ball member 20 a is received through an aperture12 a of the mirror casing 12 (which may be snapped or press fit attachedor otherwise attached at the backplate and/or reflective element) and isreceived in the socket or receiving portion formed by the flexible tabs16 b of the socket element 16. The mounting base 20 may be attached atthe interior surface of the vehicle and the mirror head (comprising thealready assembled backplate and reflective element and socket elementand mirror casing) may be readily snapped (or press fit attached orotherwise attached) to the ball member 20 a to pivotally attach themirror head to the mounting base.

Optionally, and preferably, and such as shown in FIG. 10, the circuitryor accessories of the mirror assembly (such as circuitry and the likeestablished at a printed circuit board attached at or established at thebackplate) may be electrically connected to vehicle wiring or circuitryvia a wiring harness or wires or cable 24 that is/are fed through orpassed through the mounting base 20 and through the ball member 20 a andto one or more electrical connectors 24 a for electrically connectingthe wires to one or more electrical connectors at the circuit boardand/or backplate of the mirror assembly. As shown in FIGS. 2-8, thesocket element 16 may include a wire guide or tab or arm 16 d forguiding and holding the cable 24 at the appropriate location to routethe cable along a notch 16 e of the socket element, whereby the cable isrouted over a second wire guide or tab or arm 16 f to retain the cablerelative to the socket element 16.

Thus, the separate socket element allows for routing of the cablethrough the mounting base and through the socket before completing theassembly of the mirror head. For example, the cable may be routedthrough the mirror casing 12 and through the socket element 16 and alongtabs 16 d, 16 f, whereby the socket element 16 (with the cable securedthereat) may be attached to the backplate 18. When so attached, themirror casing may be attached at the backplate and/or reflective elementand the socket element may be snapped or press fit attached to the ballmember of the mounting base, with the cable routed therethrough. Such aconfiguration thus may provide enhanced assembly processing and wiremanagement.

The common backplate thus may comprise any suitable backplate having thedesired or appropriate strength and rigidity (particularly for framelessmirror reflective elements and the like), while the socket element maybe selected to provide a desired or selected diameter socket forreceiving a particular sized ball member (such as a ball member having adiameter of greater than about 10 mm and less than about 30 mm, such as,for example, a ball member having a diameter of around 22 mm or thelike) for the particular vehicular application of the mirror assembly.Similarly, the socket element may be selected to provide a desiredtorque (such as between about 1 Nm and about 3 Nm of torque, or betweenabout 1.5 Nm and about 2.5 Nm of torque, or between about 1.4 Nm andabout 2.2 Nm of torque, such as, for example, about 1.8 Nm of torque) atthe ball member that is received in the socket when the mirror head ispivotally attached at the base portion at the vehicle.

The present invention, by attaching the socket element at the backingplate instead of the mirror casing, provides for use of a larger ballmember (such as, for example, a 28 mm diameter ball member) and alsoprovides enhanced vibration performance. For example, a mirror assemblywith the socket attached at the mirror casing may have a vibrationperformance of around 64 Hz, while a mirror assembly of the presentinvention, with the socket attached at the backing plate, may have avibration performance of around 87 Hz.

The present invention thus may allow for a mirror assembly to utilize alarger ball member (such as, for example, a 28 mm ball member orthereabouts) and thus may provide enhanced vibration performance andenhanced torque and the like. With reference to FIGS. 13 and 14, such amirror assembly may be assembled by pressing the ball member or stay ormounting base into the socket before the socket element is attached tothe back plate. At this time, any wiring that may be routed through themounting base and/or ball member may be routed through the socketelement. The socket element is then placed at the backing plate (and anyelectrical wiring may at that time be electrically connected tocircuitry at the backing plate), and then is attached or fastened at thebacking plate (such as via one or more fasteners or such as via a snapattachment or the like). After the socket element (with the ball memberpivotally received therein) is attached at the backing plate, thevehicle attaching portion of the mounting base may be fed through theaperture in the mirror casing and the mirror casing may be attached atthe backing plate and/or reflective element. Such a construction allowsfor a larger diameter ball member without having to create a largerdiameter aperture through the mirror casing (so long as the aperturethrough the mirror casing is sufficiently sized to receive the vehicleattaching portion of the mounting base or stay therethrough.

The larger diameter ball member provides benefits over smaller diameterconstructions, such as, for example, the larger diameter ball memberallows for assembly of the housing over the stay, and allows for directattachment of the socket element to the attachment plate, and provides aload path that is direct to the heavy components of the mirror, andachieves the same load path as a two ball or double pivot design, andprovides improved vibration performance (for example, the vibrationperformance may improve from about 64 Hz to about 87 Hz). The torque atthe ball or pivot joint may be any suitable or desired torque and may beselected via changing the inner diameter of the socket element. Forexample, multiple socket elements may be formed or provided for aparticular ball size, and a particular socket element (having thedesired inner diameter) may be selected to provide the desired torquefor a particular application. The multiple socket elements may beprovided with inner diameters that vary slightly, such as in 0.1 mmincrements, so that a heavier mirror assembly (having greater electroniccontent) may utilize a smaller inner diameter socket element than thesame mirror assembly with lesser electronic content.

Therefore, the separate socket element construction of the presentinvention provides for enhanced assembly and allows for differentmaterials to be used for the backplate and the socket element. Thus, thepresent invention may provide a common or universal backplate orbackplate material (with the backplate comprising a plastic backplateformed in an injection molding operation or the like) that providesenhanced strength at the back of the reflective element, while theseparate socket (which is decoupled from the backplate and formedseparately from the backplate in a separate forming operation, such asin a separate and distinct injection molding operation or the like) maycomprise a different material to provide the desired support and torquecharacteristics at the ball member of the mounting base. Optionally,different sized and different material socket elements may be selectedfor attachment to and use with common backplates, depending on theparticular mirror application (such as the particular size and/or weightof the mirror head and/or the particular mirror content and/or theparticular mounting base and/or the like).

The mirror assembly may comprise any suitable construction, such as, forexample, a mirror assembly with the reflective element being nested inthe mirror casing and with the mirror casing having a curved or beveledperimeter edge around the reflective element and with no overlap ontothe front surface of the reflective element (such as by utilizingaspects of the mirror assemblies described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,255,451;7,289,037; 7,360,932; 8,049,640; 8,277,059 and/or 8,529,108, or such asa mirror assembly having a rear substrate of an electro-optic orelectrochromic reflective element nested in the mirror casing, and withthe front substrate having curved or beveled perimeter edges, or such asa mirror assembly having a prismatic reflective element that is disposedat an outer perimeter edge of the mirror casing and with the prismaticsubstrate having curved or beveled perimeter edges, such as described inU.S. Des. Pat. Nos. D633,423; D633,019; D638,761 and/or D647,017, and/orPCT Application No. PCT/US2010/032017, filed Apr. 22, 2010 and publishedOct. 28, 2010 as International Publication No. WO 2010/124064, and/orPCT Application No. PCT/US10/51741, filed Oct. 7, 2010 and publishedApr. 14, 2011 as International Publication No. WO 2011/044312, and/orPCT Application No. PCT/US2011/056295, filed Oct. 14, 2011 and publishedon Apr. 19, 2012 as International Publication No. WO 2012/051500, and/orPCT Application No. PCT/US2012/064398, filed Nov. 9, 2012 and publishedMay 16, 2013 as International Publication No. WO 2013/071070, which arehereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties (and withelectrochromic and prismatic mirrors of such construction arecommercially available from the assignee of this application under thetrade name INFINITY™ mirror).

In the illustrated embodiment, the interior rearview mirror assembly isdesigned and constructed as an electrochromic mirror assembly having afront glass substrate, with the front glass substrate of theelectrochromic laminate element being constructed with its firstsurface/outermost perimeter edges slanted or beveled or rounded or thelike, such as shown/described in U.S. Des. Pat. Nos. D633,423; D633,019;D638,761 and/or D647,017, and/or PCT Application No. PCT/US2011/056295,filed Oct. 14, 2011, and/or PCT Application No. PCT/US2010/032017, filedApr. 22, 2010 and published Oct. 28, 2010 as International PublicationNo. WO 2010/124064, and/or PCT Application No. PCT/US10/51741, filedOct. 7, 2010 and published Apr. 14, 2011 as International PublicationNo. WO 2011/044312, and/or PCT Application No. PCT/US2012/064398, filedNov. 9, 2012 and published May 16, 2013 as International Publication No.WO 2013/071070, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties, in order to obviate/avoid a sharp edge at the front oroutermost perimeter surface of the mirror reflective element and mirrorassembly that could potentially hurt/injure an occupant of a vehicleequipped with the interior rearview mirror assembly during an accident.The mirror casing 12 may comprise any suitable mirror casing, and maycomprise a plastic or polymeric molded casing or housing.

Although shown as an electrochromic mirror application, it is envisionedthat the mirror assembly may comprise a prismatic reflective element,while remaining within the spirit and scope of the present invention.The prismatic mirror assembly may be mounted or attached at an interiorportion of a vehicle (such as at an interior surface of a vehiclewindshield) via the mounting means described above, and the reflectiveelement may be toggled or flipped or adjusted between its daytimereflectivity position and its nighttime reflectivity position via anysuitable toggle means, such as by utilizing aspects of the mirrorassemblies described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,318,870 and/or 7,249,860,and/or U.S. Publication No. US-2010-0085653, published Apr. 8, 2010,which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

Optionally, the interior rearview mirror assembly may include circuitrytherein (such as at a printed circuit board or the like disposed withinthe mirror casing, and electrical connection to the circuitry may bemade via an electrical lead or connector of a wiring harness of thevehicle. Optionally, the electrical connector may be received throughthe mirror casing and through an aperture established through the toggleelement, such as by utilizing aspects of the mirror assemblies describedin U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,688 and/or U.S. Publication No. US-2010-0085653,published Apr. 8, 2010, which are hereby incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

The mirror assembly may include user actuatable inputs operable tocontrol any of the accessories of or associated with the mirror assemblyand/or an accessory module or the like. For example, the mirror assemblymay include touch sensitive elements or touch sensors or proximitysensors, such as the types of touch sensitive elements described in U.S.Pat. Nos. 5,594,222; 6,001,486; 6,310,611; 6,320,282; 6,627,918;7,224,324 and/or 7,253,723, and/or PCT Application No.PCT/US2012/064398, filed Nov. 9, 2012 and published May 16, 2013 asInternational Publication No. WO 2013/071070, which are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties, or such asproximity sensors of the types described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,224,324;7,249,860 and/or 7,446,924, and/or PCT Application No. PCT/US03/40611,filed Dec. 19, 2003 and published on Jul. 15, 2004 as PCT PublicationNo. WO 2004/058540, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties, or such as membrane type switches, such as describedin U.S. Pat. No. 7,360,932, which is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety, or such as detectors and the like, such asthe types disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,255,541; 6,504,531; 6,501,465;6,492,980; 6,452,479; 6,437,258 and 6,369,804, which are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties, and/or the like,while remaining within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Optionally, the user inputs or buttons may comprise user inputs for agarage door opening system, such as a vehicle based garage door openingsystem of the types described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,396,408; 6,362,771;7,023,322 and/or 5,798,688, which are hereby incorporated herein byreference in their entireties. The user inputs may also or otherwisefunction to activate and deactivate a display or function or accessory,and/or may activate/deactivate and/or commence a calibration of acompass system of the mirror assembly and/or vehicle. The compass systemmay include compass sensors and circuitry within the mirror assembly orwithin a compass pod or module at or near or associated with the mirrorassembly. Optionally, the user inputs may also or otherwise compriseuser inputs for a telematics system of the vehicle, such as, forexample, an ONSTAR® system as found in General Motors vehicles and/orsuch as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,862,594; 4,937,945; 5,131,154;5,255,442; 5,632,092; 5,798,688; 5,971,552; 5,924,212; 6,243,003;6,278,377; 6,420,975; 6,477,464; 6,946,978; 7,308,341; 7,167,796;7,004,593; 7,657,052 and/or 6,678,614, and/or U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/538,724, filed Jun. 13, 2005 and published Mar. 9, 2006 asU.S. Pat. Pub. No. US-2006-0050018, which are all hereby incorporatedherein by reference in their entireties.

Optionally, the mirror assembly may include one or more other displays,such as the types disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,530,240 and/or6,329,925, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties, and/or display-on-demand transflective type displays, and/orvideo displays or display screens, such as the types disclosed in U.S.Pat. Nos. 7,855,755; 7,338,177; 7,274,501; 7,255,451; 7,195,381;7,184,190; 7,046,448; 5,668,663; 5,724,187; 5,530,240; 6,329,925;6,690,268; 7,734,392; 7,370,983; 6,902,284; 6,428,172; 6,420,975;5,416,313; 5,285,060; 5,193,029 and/or 4,793,690, and/or in U.S. patentapplications, Ser. No. 13/023,750, filed Feb. 9, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No.8,890,955, Ser. No. 11/226,628, filed Sep. 14, 2005 and published Mar.23, 2006 as U.S. Pat. Pub. No. US-2006-0061008, and/or Ser. No.10/538,724, filed Jun. 13, 2005 and published Mar. 9, 2006 as U.S. Pat.Pub. No. US-2006-0050018, Ser. No. 12/091,525, filed Apr. 25, 2008 andpublished Jan. 15, 2009 as U.S. Pat. Pub. No. US-2009-0015736; Ser. No.12/091,525, filed Apr. 25, 2008 and published Jan. 15, 2009 as U.S. Pat.Pub. No. US-2009-0015736; Ser. No. 12/578,732, filed Oct. 14, 2009 andpublished Apr. 22, 2010 as U.S. Pat. Pub. No. US-2010-0097469; Ser. No.09/585,379, filed Jun. 1, 2000, now abandoned; and/or Ser. No.10/207,291, filed Jul. 29, 2002, now abandoned, and/or PCT ApplicationNo. PCT/US10/47256, filed Aug. 31, 2010, which are all herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

The video display screen may be controlled or operable in response to aninput or signal, such as a signal received from one or more cameras orimage sensors of the vehicle, such as a video camera or sensor, such asa CMOS imaging array sensor, a CCD sensor or the like, and imageprocessors or image processing techniques, such as utilizing aspects ofthe cameras and image processors described U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,550,677;5,670,935; 5,760,962; 6,498,620; 6,396,397; 6,222,447; 6,201,642;6,097,023; 5,877,897; 5,796,094; 5,715,093; 6,922,292; 6,757,109;6,717,610; 6,590,719; 6,320,176; 6,559,435; 6,831,261; 6,806,452;6,822,563; 6,946,978; 7,038,577; 7,004,606 and/or 7,720,580, and/or U.S.patent application Ser. No. 10/534,632, filed May 11, 2005 and publishedAug. 3, 2006 as U.S. Pat. Pub. No. US-2006-0171704, Ser. No. 12/091,359,filed Jun. 10, 2008 and published Oct. 1, 2009 as U.S. Pat. Pub. No.US-2009-0244361; and/or Ser. No. 12/377,054, filed Feb. 10, 2009 andpublished Aug. 26, 2010 as U.S. Pat. Pub. No. US-2010-0214791, and/orPCT Application No. PCT/US08/78700, filed Oct. 3, 2008 and publishedApr. 9, 2009 as International Publication No. WO 2009/046268, and/or PCTApplication No. PCT/US08/76022, filed Sep. 11, 2008 and published Mar.19, 2009 as International Publication No. WO 2009/036176, which arehereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties, or from oneor more imaging systems of the vehicle, such as a reverse or backup aidsystem, such as a rearwardly directed vehicle vision system utilizingprinciples disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,550,677; 5,760,962; 5,670,935;6,201,642; 6,396,397; 6,498,620; 6,717,610 and/or 6,757,109, which arehereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties, a trailerhitching aid or tow check system, such as the type disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 7,005,974, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference inits entirety, a cabin viewing or monitoring device or system, such as ababy viewing or rear seat viewing camera or device or system or thelike, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,877,897 and/or 6,690,268,which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties, avideo communication device or system, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,690,268, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety, and/or the like. The imaging sensor or camera may be activatedand the display screen may be activated in response to the vehicleshifting into reverse, such that the display screen is viewable by thedriver and is displaying an image of the rearward scene while the driveris reversing the vehicle. It is envisioned that an image processor orcontroller (such as an EyeQ™ image processing chip available fromMobileye Vision Technologies Ltd. of Jerusalem, Israel, and such as animage processor of the types described in PCT Application No.PCT/US10/25545, filed Feb. 25, 2010 and published Sep. 2, 2010 asInternational Pub. No. WO/2010/099416, which is hereby incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety) may process image data captured bythe rearward facing camera to assess glare lighting conditions (such asto detect headlights of following vehicles that may cause glare at theinterior and/or exterior rearview mirror assemblies of the equippedvehicle), and the controller may adjust or control the dimming of theelectro-optic mirror assembly or assemblies of the equipped vehicleresponsive to such image processing.

Optionally, the mirror assembly may include other electrically operatedor powered accessories, such as a compass sensor and compass display.Such a compass sensor and circuitry for the compass system that detectsand displays the vehicle directional heading to a driver of the vehiclemay comprise any suitable compass sensor and/or circuitry, such as acompass system and compass circuitry that utilizes aspects of thecompass systems described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,370,983; 7,329,013;7,289,037; 7,249,860; 7,004,593; 6,928,366; 6,642,851; 6,140,933;4,546,551; 5,699,044; 4,953,305; 5,576,687; 5,632,092; 5,677,851;5,708,410; 5,737,226; 5,802,727; 5,878,370; 6,087,953; 6,173,508;6,222,460 and/or 6,513,252, and/or European patent application,published Oct. 11, 2000 under Publication No. EP 0 1043566, and/or U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/226,628, filed Sep. 14, 2005 andpublished Mar. 23, 2006 as U.S. Pat. Pub. No. US-2006-0061008, which areall hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Thecompass circuitry may include compass sensors, such as amagneto-responsive sensor, such as a magneto-resistive sensor, amagneto-capacitive sensor, a Hall sensor, a magneto-inductive sensor, aflux-gate sensor or the like. The compass sensor may be incorporated inor associated with a compass system and/or display system for displayinga directional heading of the vehicle to the driver, such as a compasssystem of the types described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,289,037; 5,924,212;4,862,594; 4,937,945; 5,131,154; 5,255,442; 5,632,092 and/or 7,004,593,which are all hereby incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties. Optionally, an integrated automotive “compass-on-a-chip” maybe disposed in a cavity of the mounting base of the mirror (or withinthe mirror housing or in an attachment to the mirror mount or elsewherewithin the mirror assembly such as to the rear of the video screen or tothe rear of the mirror reflective element) and may comprise at least twosensor elements (such as magneto-responsive sensor elements, or a Halleffect sensor or multiple Hall effect sensors), associated A/D and D/Aconverters, associated microprocessor(s) and memory, associated signalprocessing and filtering, associated display driver and associatedLIN/CAN BUS interface and the like, all (or a sub-set thereof) createdor disposed or commonly established onto a semiconductor chipsurface/substrate or silicon substrate, such as utilizing CMOStechnology and/or fabrication techniques as known in the semiconductormanufacturing arts, and constituting an application specific integratedchip (“ASIC”), such as utilizing principles described in U.S. Pat. Nos.7,815,326; 7,004,593; 7,329,013 and/or 7,370,983, and/or U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/226,628, filed Sep. 14, 2005 and published Mar.23, 2006 as U.S. Pat. Pub. No. US-2006-0061008, which are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties, and/or such as byutilizing aspects of an EC driver-on-a-chip such as described in U.S.Pat. No. 7,480,149, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

As discussed above, the mirror assembly may comprise an electro-optic orelectrochromic mirror assembly that includes an electro-optic orelectrochromic reflective element. The perimeter edges of the reflectiveelement may be encased or encompassed by the perimeter element orportion of the bezel portion to conceal and contain and envelop theperimeter edges of the substrates and the perimeter seal disposedtherebetween. The electrochromic mirror element of the electrochromicmirror assembly may utilize the principles disclosed in commonlyassigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,274,501; 7,255,451; 7,195,381; 7,184,190;6,690,268; 5,140,455; 5,151,816; 6,178,034; 6,154,306; 6,002,544;5,567,360; 5,525,264; 5,610,756; 5,406,414; 5,253,109; 5,076,673;5,073,012; 5,117,346; 5,724,187; 5,668,663; 5,910,854; 5,142,407 and/or4,712,879, and/or PCT Application No. PCT/US2010/029173, filed Mar. 30,2010, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties, and/or as disclosed in the following publications: N. R.Lynam, “Electrochromic Automotive Day/Night Mirrors”, SAE TechnicalPaper Series 870636 (1987); N. R. Lynam, “Smart Windows forAutomobiles”, SAE Technical Paper Series 900419 (1990); N. R. Lynam andA. Agrawal, “Automotive Applications of Chromogenic Materials”, LargeArea Chromogenics: Materials and Devices for Transmittance Control, C.M. Lampert and C. G. Granquist, EDS., Optical Engineering Press, Wash.(1990), which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in theirentireties; and/or as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,195,381, which ishereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Optionally, it is envisioned that aspects of the present invention maybe suitable for an interior rearview mirror assembly that comprises aprismatic mirror assembly or a non-electro-optic mirror assembly (suchas a generally planar or optionally slightly curved mirror substrate) oran electro-optic or electrochromic mirror assembly. For example, theinterior rearview mirror assembly may comprise a prismatic mirrorassembly, such as the types described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,289,037;7,249,860; 6,318,870; 6,598,980; 5,327,288; 4,948,242; 4,826,289;4,436,371 and 4,435,042, which are hereby incorporated herein byreference in their entireties. Optionally, the prismatic reflectiveelement may comprise a conventional prismatic reflective element orprism or may comprise a prismatic reflective element of the typesdescribed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,420,756; 7,289,037; 7,274,501; 7,249,860;7,338,177 and/or 7,255,451, which are all hereby incorporated herein byreference in their entireties, without affecting the scope of thepresent invention. A variety of mirror accessories and constructions areknown in the art, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,555,136;5,582,383; 5,680,263; 5,984,482; 6,227,675; 6,229,319 and 6,315,421(which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties),that can benefit from the present invention.

Optionally, the reflective element may include an opaque orsubstantially opaque or hiding perimeter layer or coating or banddisposed around a perimeter edge region of the front substrate (such asat a perimeter region of the rear or second surface of the frontsubstrate) to conceal or hide or the perimeter seal from viewing by thedriver of the vehicle when the mirror assembly is normally mounted inthe vehicle. Such a hiding layer or perimeter band may be reflective ornot reflective and may utilize aspects of the perimeter bands and mirrorassemblies described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,066,112; 7,626,749; 7,274,501;7,184,190 and/or 7,255,451, and/or PCT Application No.PCT/US2010/032017, filed Apr. 22, 2010 and published Oct. 28, 2010 asInternational Publication No. WO 2010/124064, and/or PCT Application No.PCT/US10/51741, filed Oct. 7, 2010 and published Apr. 14, 2011 asInternational Publication No. WO 2011/044312, and/or U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/226,628, filed Sep. 14, 2005 and published Mar.23, 2006 as U.S. Pat. Pub. No. US-2006-0061008, which are all herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Optionally, theperimeter band may comprise a chrome/chromium coating or metalliccoating and/or may comprise a chrome/chromium or metallic coating thathas a reduced reflectance, such as by using an oxidized chrome coatingor chromium oxide coating or “black chrome” coating or the like (such asby utilizing aspects of the mirror assemblies described in U.S. Pat.Nos. 7,184,190 and/or 7,255,451, which are hereby incorporated herein byreference in their entireties). Optionally, other opaque orsubstantially opaque coatings or bands may be implemented whileremaining within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The mirror assembly may comprise or utilize aspects of other types ofcasings or the like, such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,338,177;7,289,037; 7,249,860; 6,439,755; 4,826,289 and 6,501,387, which are allhereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties, withoutaffecting the scope of the present invention. For example, the mirrorassembly may utilize aspects of the flush or frameless or bezellessreflective elements described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,626,749; 7,360,932;7,289,037; 7,255,451; 7,274,501 and/or 7,184,190, and/or in U.S. patentapplications, Ser. No. 11/226,628, filed Sep. 14, 2005 and publishedMar. 23, 2006 as U.S. Pat. Pub. No. US-2006-0061008; and/or Ser. No.10/538,724, filed Jun. 13, 2005 and published Mar. 9, 2006 as U.S. Pat.Pub. No. US-2006-0050018, which are all hereby incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

Optionally, the mirror assembly may comprise a modular mirrorconstruction, and may include back housing portions or the like, such ascap portions of the types described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,289,037, which ishereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. A displayscreen may be provided as a modular display screen and may be mountableor installable in the appropriate or suitable mirror casing to provide amodular mirror assembly and display screen. For example, a rear casingor cap portion may include the display screen module including theassociated components, such as the rails and motor and the like for avideo slideout module (such as by utilizing aspects of the video mirrorsdescribed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,370,983 and 6,690,268, and/or U.S. patentapplications, Ser. No. 10/538,724, filed Jun. 13, 2005 and publishedMar. 9, 2006 as U.S. Pat. Pub. No. US-2006-0050018; and/or Ser. No.12/091,525, filed Apr. 25, 2008 and published Jan. 15, 2009 as U.S. Pat.Pub. No. US-2009-0015736, which are hereby incorporated herein byreference in their entireties), and may be attachable to a reflectiveelement and/or mirror casing to assemble the modular mirror assembly.The display screen module thus may be provided as an optional componentor accessory for a vehicle, and may be readily assembled to a commonreflective element and/or mirror casing of the mirror assembly.

Optionally, the mirror casing and/or reflective element may includecustomized or personalized viewable characteristics, such as color orsymbols or indicia selected by the vehicle manufacturer or owner of thevehicle, such as the customization characteristics described in U.S.Pat. Nos. 7,626,749; 7,255,451; 7,289,037, which are hereby incorporatedherein by reference in their entireties.

Optionally, the mirror assembly and/or any associated user inputs may beassociated with various accessories or systems, such as, for example, atire pressure monitoring system or a passenger air bag status or agarage door opening system or a telematics system or any other accessoryor system of the mirror assembly or of the vehicle or of an accessorymodule or console of the vehicle, such as an accessory module or consoleof the types described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,289,037; 6,877,888;6,824,281; 6,690,268; 6,672,744; 6,386,742 and/or 6,124,886, and/or U.S.patent application Ser. No. 10/538,724, filed Jun. 13, 2005 andpublished Mar. 9, 2006 as U.S. Pat. Pub. No. US-2006-0050018, which arehereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

Optionally, the mirror assembly may include one or more otheraccessories at or within the mirror casing, such as one or moreelectrical or electronic devices or accessories, such as antennas,including global positioning system (GPS) or cellular phone antennas,such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,552, a communication module,such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,688, a blind spot detectionsystem, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,929,786 and/or 5,786,772,transmitters and/or receivers, such as a garage door opener or the like,a digital network, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,575, ahigh/low headlamp controller, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,796,094 and/or 5,715,093, a memory mirror system, such as disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 5,796,176, a hands-free phone attachment, a video devicefor internal cabin surveillance and/or video telephone function, such asdisclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,760,962 and/or 5,877,897, a remote keylessentry receiver, lights, such as map reading lights or one or more otherlights or illumination sources, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.6,690,268; 5,938,321; 5,813,745; 5,820,245; 5,673,994; 5,649,756;5,178,448; 5,671,996; 4,646,210; 4,733,336; 4,807,096; 6,042,253;5,669,698; 7,195,381; 6,971,775 and/or 7,249,860, microphones, such asdisclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,657,052; 6,243,003; 6,278,377 and/or6,420,975, speakers, antennas, including global positioning system (GPS)or cellular phone antennas, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.5,971,552, a communication module, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.5,798,688, a voice recorder, a blind spot detection system, such asdisclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,720,580; 7,038,577; 6,882,287; 5,929,786and/or 5,786,772, transmitters and/or receivers, such as for a garagedoor opener or a vehicle door unlocking system or the like (such as aremote keyless entry system), a digital network, such as described inU.S. Pat. No. 5,798,575, a high/low headlamp controller, such as acamera-based headlamp control, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,796,094 and/or 5,715,093, a memory mirror system, such as disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 5,796,176, a hands-free phone attachment, an imagingsystem or components or circuitry or display thereof, such as an imagingand/or display system of the types described in U.S. Pat. Nos.7,400,435; 7,526,103; 6,690,268 and/or 6,847,487, and/or U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/239,980, filed Sep. 30, 2005 and published Jun.15, 2006 as U.S. Pat. Pub. No. US-2006-0125919, a video device forinternal cabin surveillance (such as for sleep detection or driverdrowsiness detection or the like) and/or video telephone function, suchas disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,760,962 and/or 5,877,897, a remotekeyless entry receiver, a seat occupancy detector, a remote startercontrol, a yaw sensor, a clock, a carbon monoxide detector, statusdisplays, such as displays that display a status of a door of thevehicle, a transmission selection (4wd/2wd or traction control (TCS) orthe like), an antilock braking system, a road condition (that may warnthe driver of icy road conditions) and/or the like, a trip computer, atire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) receiver (such as described inU.S. Pat. Nos. 6,124,647; 6,294,989; 6,445,287; 6,472,979; 6,731,205and/or 7,423,522, and/or an ONSTAR® system, a compass, such as disclosedin U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,924,212; 4,862,594; 4,937,945; 5,131,154; 5,255,442and/or 5,632,092, and/or any other accessory or circuitry or the like(with all of the above-referenced patents and PCT and U.S. patentapplications being commonly assigned and being hereby incorporatedherein by reference in their entireties).

Optionally, the mirror assembly (such as at the mounting base, which maybe fixed relative to the vehicle windshield) may include an imagingsensor (such as a forward facing imaging sensor or camera that has aforward field of view through the vehicle windshield) that may be partof or may provide an image output for a vehicle vision system, such as aheadlamp control system or lane departure warning system or objectdetection system or other vehicle vision system or the like, and mayutilize aspects of various imaging sensors or imaging array sensors orcameras or the like, such as a CMOS imaging array sensor, a CCD sensoror other sensors or the like, such as the types described in U.S. Pat.Nos. 5,550,677; 5,670,935; 5,760,962; 5,715,093; 5,877,897; 6,922,292;6,757,109; 6,717,610; 6,590,719; 6,201,642; 6,498,620; 5,796,094;6,097,023; 6,320,176; 6,559,435; 6,831,261; 6,806,452; 6,396,397;6,822,563; 6,946,978; 7,339,149; 7,038,577; 7,004,606; 7,720,580 and/or7,965,336, and/or International Publication Nos. WO/2009/036176 and/orWO/2009/046268, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties.

Optionally, the accessory or accessories, such as those described aboveand/or below, may be positioned at or within the mirror casing and/ormirror cap portion or the like, and may be included on or integrated ina printed circuit board positioned within the mirror casing and/or capportion, such as along a rear surface of the reflective element orelsewhere within a cavity defined by the casing, without affecting thescope of the present invention. The user actuatable inputs and/or touchsensors and/or proximity sensors and displays described above may beactuatable to control and/or adjust the accessories of the mirrorassembly/system and/or overhead console and/or accessory module and/orvehicle. The connection or link between the controls and the displayscreen device and/or the navigation system and/or other systems andaccessories of the mirror system may be provided via vehicle electronicor communication systems and the like, and may be connected via variousprotocols or nodes, such as BLUETOOTH®, SCP, UBP, J1850, CAN J2284, FireWire 1394, MOST, LIN, FlexRay™, Byte Flight and/or the like, or othervehicle-based or in-vehicle communication links or systems (such as WIFIand/or IRDA) and/or the like, or via VHF or UHF or other wirelesstransmission formats, depending on the particular application of themirror/accessory system and the vehicle. Optionally, the connections orlinks may be provided via various wireless connectivity or links,without affecting the scope of the present invention.

Although shown and described as comprising an interior rearview mirrorassembly attached at an interior portion of a vehicle, aspects of thepresent invention may be suitable for use in an exterior rearview mirrorassembly attached at a side of a vehicle. For example, aspects of thepresent invention may be suitable for use in exterior rearview mirrorassemblies of the types described in PCT Application No.PCT/US2012/064398, filed Nov. 9, 2012 and published May 16, 2013 asInternational Publication No. WO 2013/071070, and/or PCT Application No.PCT/US2013/027346, filed Feb. 22, 2013 and published Aug. 29, 2013 asInternational Publication No. WO 2013/126719, which are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

Changes and modifications in the specifically described embodiments maybe carried out without departing from the principles of the presentinvention, which is intended to be limited only by the scope of theappended claims as interpreted according to the principles of patentlaw.

1. A process for providing an interior rearview mirror assembly for avehicle, said process comprising: providing a mirror reflective elementcomprising at least one transparent substrate and a mirror reflectorestablished at a surface of said at least one transparent substrate;forming a mirror backplate; forming a mounting base, wherein saidmounting base is formed separate from said mirror backplate, and whereinsaid mounting base is configured for attachment at an interior portionof a vehicle, said mounting base comprising a ball member; forming asocket element, wherein said socket element is formed separate from saidmirror backplate and separate from said mounting base, said socketelement comprising a socket member; inserting said ball member of saidmounting base into said socket member of said socket element to form aball and socket joint whereby said mounting base pivotally attaches tosaid socket element; attaching said mirror backplate at said mirrorreflective element; and with said mirror backplate attached at saidmirror reflective element, attaching said socket element, with saidmounting base pivotally attached thereto, to said mirror backplate. 2.The process of claim 1, wherein said socket element is attached at saidmirror backplate via at least one fastener.
 3. The process of claim 1,wherein electrical wiring passes through said ball member and throughsaid socket member, said electrical wiring making electrical connectionto circuitry at said mirror backplate.
 4. The process of claim 1,wherein said mirror backplate comprises a first material and said socketelement comprises a second material, and wherein said second material isdifferent than said first material.
 5. The process of claim 4, whereinsaid first material comprises an ABS material.
 6. The process of claim5, wherein said second material comprises at least one of (i) an acetalmaterial and (ii) a polypropylene material.
 7. The process of claim 1,wherein said mounting base is formed by molding a plastic resin.
 8. Theprocess of claim 1, comprising providing a mirror casing having anaperture therethrough.
 9. The process of claim 8, comprising passingsaid ball member of said mounting base through aperture of said mirrorcasing.
 10. The process of claim 1, wherein said ball member insertsinto said socket member by press fit attachment.
 11. The process ofclaim 1, wherein said mounting base is formed by molding a plastic resinand wherein said ball member is formed of metal, and wherein said metalball member is insert molded into said mounting base during itsformation by molding.
 12. The process of claim 1, wherein said ball andsocket joint exhibits a torque in the range of 1 Nm of torque to 3 Nm oftorque.
 13. The process of claim 1, wherein said ball member has adiameter of at least 28 mm.
 14. An interior rearview mirror assemblyprovided in accordance with the process of claim
 1. 15. A process forproviding an interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, saidprocess comprising: providing a mirror reflective element comprising atleast one transparent substrate and a mirror reflector established at asurface of said at least one transparent substrate; forming a mirrorbackplate in a plastic molding operation; forming a mounting base,wherein said mounting base is formed separate from said mirrorbackplate, and wherein said mounting base is configured for attachmentat an interior portion of a vehicle, said mounting base comprising aball member; forming a socket element in a plastic molding operation,wherein said socket element is formed separate from said mirrorbackplate and separate from said mounting base, said socket elementcomprising a socket member; inserting said ball member of said mountingbase into said socket member of said socket element to form a ball andsocket joint whereby said mounting base pivotally attaches to saidsocket element; adhering said mirror backplate at said mirror reflectiveelement; and with said mirror backplate adhered at said mirrorreflective element, attaching said socket element, with said mountingbase pivotally attached thereto, to said mirror backplate.
 16. Theprocess of claim 15, wherein said mounting base is formed by molding aplastic resin.
 17. The process of claim 16, wherein said ball member isformed of metal and wherein said metal ball member is insert molded intosaid mounting base during its formation by molding.
 18. The process ofclaim 16, wherein said ball and socket joint exhibits a torque in therange of 1.4 Nm of torque to 2.2 Nm of torque.
 19. The process of claim16, wherein said ball member has a diameter of at least 28 mm.
 20. Aninterior rearview mirror assembly provided in accordance with theprocess of claim
 15. 21. A process for providing an interior rearviewmirror assembly for a vehicle, said process comprising: providing amirror reflective element comprising at least one transparent substrateand a mirror reflector established at a surface of said at least onetransparent substrate; forming a mirror backplate in a plastic moldingoperation; forming a mounting base, wherein said mounting base is formedseparate from said mirror backplate, and wherein said mounting base isconfigured for attachment at an interior portion of a vehicle, saidmounting base comprising a ball member; forming a socket element in aplastic molding operation, wherein said socket element is formedseparate from said mirror backplate and separate from said mountingbase, said socket element comprising a socket member; inserting saidball member of said mounting base into said socket member of said socketelement to form a ball and socket joint whereby said mounting basepivotally attaches to said socket element; adhering said mirrorbackplate at said mirror reflective element; with said mirror backplateadhered at said mirror reflective element, attaching said socketelement, with said mounting base pivotally attached thereto, to saidmirror backplate; providing a mirror casing with an aperture at a rearportion thereof that is dimensioned for said mounting base to passtherethrough; and passing said mounting base through said aperture ofsaid mirror casing.
 22. The process of claim 21, wherein at least one of(i) said ball and socket joint exhibits a torque in the range of 1.4 Nmof torque to 2.2 Nm of torque, and (ii) said ball member has a diameterof at least 28 mm.
 23. An interior rearview mirror assembly provided inaccordance with the process of claim 21.